1. Technical Field
This application generally relates to software development in a data processing system. In particular, embodiments this application relates to systems and methods for identifying the source of an error in computer code.
2. Description of the Related Art
One task in the development of a computer program is identifying errors in the computer program. Typically, a “debugger” program is used to assist in identifying any errors in the computer program under development. Conventional debuggers typically support two primary operations. A first operation supported by conventional debuggers is a “step” function which permits the processing of instructions, one at a time, in a computer program and allows the results of each instruction to be viewed upon completion. Conventional debuggers also support a breakpoint operation, which permits identification of a break point. A break point is an instruction at which execution of a computer program is halted. As the debugger executes the computer program, the program executes normally until a breakpoint is reached. Upon reaching the breakpoint, the program stops execution and displays the results, up to the breakpoint, of the computer program.
Step operations and breakpoints are typically used together to simplify the debugging process. Specifically, a common debugging procedure is to set a breakpoint at the beginning of a desired set of instructions to be analyzed, and then begin execution of the program undergoing debugging. Execution would then automatically halt at the established breakpoint. The program may then be analyzed by stepping through the desired set of instructions line-by-line, using a step operation. Consequently, isolation and analysis of a particular set of instructions can be expedited by not having to step through irrelevant portions of a computer program. However, setting breakpoints and halting execution of a program undergoing debugging is still onerous because of the amount of attention that must be given to each step.